Fork-tailed chicken

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Fork-tailed chicken
Fork-tailed roosters (Gallus varius)

Fork-tailed roosters ( Gallus varius )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Chicken birds (Galliformes)
Family : Pheasants (Phasianidae)
Genre : Combed chicken ( Gallus )
Type : Fork-tailed chicken
Scientific name
Gallus varius
( Shaw , 1798)
Hen of the fork-tailed chicken
Distribution of the fork-tailed chicken (dark brown crosswise stripes) and the other comb chicken species. The fork-tailed chicken occurs in the entire area together with the Bankiva chicken (light brown).

The fork-tailed chicken ( Gallus varius ) is a species of fowl from the pheasant-like family (Phasianidae). Its distribution extends from Java and Bali eastwards over the neighboring islands of Madura , Kangean , Bawean , Lombok , Sumbawa and Flores to Alor, which belong to the Lesser Sunda Islands . It inhabits savannahs, dry bushes and forest edge areas, but also occurs in the cultural landscape. Little is known about the way of life.

description

With a length of 65 to 75 cm and a weight of 672 to 1450 g, the fork-tailed chicken is similar in size to the bankiva chicken. Hens are between 40 and 46 cm long and weigh between 485 and 1050 g. The sexual dimorphism is very pronounced, as with all comb chickens. The rooster of this species lacks a simple summer dress.

The rooster has an unmistakable appearance with its shimmering and scaly plumage on a black background and the brightly colored areas of skin on the head. The beak is horn yellow. The bare eye area is red, the iris yellow. The crest is not jagged, but rather smooth-edged with a whitish blue-green center that merges through blue and purple to red at the edge. The individual wattles are red, have a yellow surface towards the neck and merge into purple and blue at the lower front edge. The feathers of the neck and the front back look like scales and are broadly blue and below green, metallic, and lined with black at the end. The black feathers on the back and rump are long and tongue-shaped with a greenish bronze sheen and narrow yellowish seams. The 16 black control feathers, which are greatly elongated and bent down, shimmer steel blue and ore green. The black elytra are greatly elongated and torn and have broad, orange-red hems that become more yellowish towards the rump. The remaining wing feathers and the underside are black. Legs and feet are white to light reddish in color. Roosters carry a spur that is usually missing in females.

The hen looks mostly brown. It differs from other comb hen hens in that it has a scaled top, banded wings and the lack of a strong drawing on the chest. The head and neck are dull brown, the top is blackish brown. The individual feathers, with a light yellowish-brown shaft line and a hem, look like scales. The control feathers are blackish, have a metallic green sheen and show light yellow-brown edges. The chin and throat are whitish, the chest is brown and the rear underside is grayish or warm gray-brown in color with darker spots. Legs and feet are grayish white to reddish yellow.

Birds in juvenile plumage resemble females. However, young cocks soon develop signs of adult plumage. In the annual rooster, the crest and wattles are smaller, the control feathers shorter and the spur less pronounced.

Subspecies are not recognized.

voice

The crowing of the rooster (audio sample) is three-syllable and rather shrill. The last two syllables are a little higher than the first. Sometimes a short single syllable precedes it. In addition, the rooster describes a slowly cackling wok wok wok as well as a sharp chop chop chop when excited . Hens utter a quick kok kok kok .

habitat

In contrast to the Bankiva chicken, the fork-tailed chicken populates more open habitats such as savannas and especially high populations of silver hair grass (Alang-Alang), grassy semi- open areas, dry bushes or forest edge areas. It is mainly found in coastal regions and valleys, but occasionally also in wooded areas inland. It seldom penetrates into more closed forest areas. It also occurs locally in the periphery of heavily populated areas and can be found in the cultural landscape such as in bushland on the edge of rice fields.

Where the species occurs together with the Bankiva chicken, it populates the dry coastal areas, the Bankiva chicken the more humid mountain habitats.

The altitude distribution in the east of Java extends from above sea level up to 3000 m, but in the west of Java only extends up to 1500 m and further east partly up to 2400 m.

nutrition

Little is known about diet. Presumably it consists of insects and seeds as well as grain that is ingested in fields. Foraging takes place in open areas in the early morning and late afternoon. Usually the animals can be found individually, but also in groups of usually five to six, more rarely up to twelve individuals. Sometimes the species follows different ungulates to catch frightened insects or to search the dung.

Reproduction

There is also little information available about reproduction. The species is believed to be monogamous. The breeding season is very extensive and variable. The main laying time on Java seems to be between June and November, but there are also breeding records from other months.

The nest is a simple hollow on the ground that is hidden in the thick vegetation. Sometimes it is nested in tufts of ferns. The mean clutch size is said to be eight, but more likely between three and four eggs. In captivity, the whitish beige eggs were incubated for 21 days.

Existence and endangerment

The species is not considered endangered by the IUCN . It is common locally in suitable habitats, gets along well with secondary habitats and also occurs on the edge of densely populated areas. It is also a breeding bird in several national parks such as Ujung Kulon , Baluran and Bali Barat . The species is caught on the north coast of Bali and crossed with domestic chickens in order to breed the vocal Bekisars . This custom was previously only practiced on Kangean, but has also enjoyed great popularity, especially in northern Bali, since the 1980s. The local populations are partly endangered due to this fishing practice.

literature

Web links

Commons : Fork-tailed chicken ( Gallus varius )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Mc Gowan et al. (2016), section Descriptive Notes , see literature
  2. ↑ a b c Raethel (1988), p. 587, see literature
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Magde / Mc Gowan (2002), p. 297, see literature
  4. ↑ Peter Ericsson: XC268028 fork-tailed chicken . xeno-canto.org. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  5. ↑ a b Raethel (1988), p. 588, see literature
  6. ↑ a b Mc Gowan et al. (2016), Habitat section , see literature
  7. ↑ Mc Gowan et al. (2016), section Food and Feeding , see literature
  8. ↑ a b Mc Gowan et al. (2016), section Breeding , see literature
  9. ↑ Mc Gowan et al. (2016), Section Status and Conservation , see literature